


What Doesn't Kill You

by Fayah



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2014-01-09
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:03:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fayah/pseuds/Fayah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few careless drunken words from Ace sets off a government investigation on Dawn Island that throw's Luffy's plans to set sail in two years for an unexpected detour.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You are (not) strong

Unlike his colleagues, Admiral Akainu was not one to complain about his assignment, even if it was one as trivial as investigating an island that, by all appearances, was a perfect picture of the peace that the Marines strived for. Dawn Island had shown no sign of unrest despite the Navy's weak presence there, a fact that Akainu grudgingly credits to Garp's odd attachment to the island.

Garp, however, was another mystery altogether.

His visits to the East were common knowledge. The Navy didn't deny their hero the occasional leave of duty, though only the top brass knew his exact whereabouts. His destination, Dawn Island, was so unremarkable that it didn't even register as a blip on the Navy's radar.

At least, that was how it was before Fire Fist Ace blazed through the Grand Line. It was a coincidental fact, a tidbit at a rowdy bar that was not intended to be overheard, but it was. Dawn Island was brought up once more, this time as the home of the most frightening rookie they had seen in years.

But it didn't end there. After the intelligence division reanalyzed their information on the tiny island and two more surprising names showed up.

The first was Red-Haired Shanks, one of the four emperors that sat at the top of the New World. He had been sighted around the island, though his activities there remained unknown since any ship that usually wandered too close to the Yonkou's crew didn't tend to come back.

If that coincidence alone wasn't enough to warrant an investigation, the other name on their list all but guaranteed it. The head of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, had also been sighted around Dawn Island.

What any of these infamous outlaws had to do with Dawn Island or Garp was impossible to comprehend. Sengoku had advised not to even try guessing. When Garp was involved, logic was the first thing to be thrown out the window. The only thing that could be done is to get to the root of the issue with more direct methods.

It was a much more complicated task than it should have been.

Garp had blocked their every attempt to investigate. From stray cannonballs to almost outright abduction (Garp claimed he was "borrowing" the fleet for a good cause), not a single Marine fleet had managed to touch Dawn Island.

It was clear that only someone who could outrank Garp would manage to get by his medaling. Aokiji refused the idea out of loyalty to Garp before Sengoku could even propose it, claiming to be busy with other matters. Matters that probably involved sleeping.

Kizaru, likewise, was uninterested.

Their lazy mannerism towards their duties almost disgusted Akainu, but he would pick up their slack, again and again, as often as needed.

Dawn Island was only four days away through the calm belt. He would find the truth himself, because nothing should escape,  _and nothing would escape_ , his justice – the Absolute Justice of the World Government.

* * *

The animals of the forest were oddly quiet today. Luffy could feel it too – something akin to an animalistic instinct that told him a bigger predator was nearby. It almost made him want to hide as well.

Almost.

The forest was  _his_  stomping ground, now that Ace had left for greener pastures. And what kind of Pirate King would he be if he backed down from a challenge in his own territory?

Luffy patted his hat, making sure it was secure around his neck.

"Shishishishi, yosh! Time to find breakfast!"

The few animals that remained in the forest didn't stay there for long.

* * *

He wasn't her regular sort of customer – the marine uniform that sat on his shoulder and his tall stature made him stick out like a sore thumb in the empty bar. It wasn't her position to question what a Marine official was doing in Fushia, but she was as weak to curiosity as anyone else. Perhaps he was one of Garp's friends.

Perhaps not.

His face was too stern, not cracking a single smile as he nursed his ale in small sips. He completely lacked the friendly openness that Garp always showed.

"Red-Haired Shanks, do you know him?" he spoke suddenly, finally looking up from his drink to gauge her reaction. The look in his eye brought a shiver down her spine – it was the look of a dog on a hunt, alert and ready to pounce at the slightest whiff of a trial.

"SHANKS?!" The door bursted open with a powerful kick. "Is Shanks here?!"

Dread pooled in Makino's stomach. There was only one person on the island with that voice and audacity. The one person she wanted as far away from this marine as possible.

There stood Luffy, the tail of a crocodile slung over his shoulder, grinning widely with no regard as to the danger his words would bring. He glanced back and forth around the small room trying to find Shanks.

"Aw, he's not here," Luffy pouted, visibly wilting.

"Luffy-"

The boy sprung right up at the familiar sound of Makino's voice. Like a cat presenting a dead mouse to its owner, he threw his catch in front of Makino and stepped on it proudly. "Oh! Makino! Look! I caught a crocodile, want some?"

Before she could even reply, the marine spoke. "Boy," he said, standing up from his seat to his full impressive height that towered over everyone in the room. "What is your relationship with Red-Haired Shanks?"

For the first time, Luffy noticed the marine in the room. He was big, even bigger than Garp in not just height, but presence. But even this didn't stop Luffy from blurting out, "Shanks? He's the one I'm going to surpass! Because I'm gonna be pirate king!"

On hindsight, it seemed to register on Luffy's mind that this was probably not something he should shout to a marine if his past experiences with Garp was anything to go by. He slapped a hand over his mouth, squeaking out a small "oops."

The room was thick with tension that didn't dissipate even with Makino's diplomatic chuckle. "Luffy always goes on about that, even though he's still just a kid."

And he really was, still full of childlike innocence and excitement, still not completely aware of all the dangers in the world, even when one of them was standing right in front of him. The boy was strong, but not strong enough to take on the world yet. She didn't need to be a trained fighter to notice that the power difference between Luffy and this marine was too vast.

But Luffy would have none of it. "I'm not a kid! I'm going to be 17 in two years! Then I'll go to sea like Ace and become a pirate!"

"Luffy!"

Luffy slapped both hands over his mouth this time, dropping his crocodile as he muttered yet another oops. He's just about ready to flee, finally picking up on the increasingly dangerous aura radiating from the man, but the marine is already in front of the door.

"And what is your relationship with Fire Fist Ace, boy?"

Something in Luffy screamed at him not to answer the question, that claiming to be the brother of a pirate in front of a marine was a horrible idea. He  _couldn't_  deny it though. They had made an oath, one made on stolen booze and worn out cups, but an oath he had taken to heart nonetheless.

And Ace was the only sibling he had left.

"Ace is…" Luffy paused to take a breath, the image of his smiling brother rising to the forefront of his mind. His resolve didn't waver. "ACE IS MY BROTHER!"

The room went silent.

* * *

"Vice-admiral Garp! We've finished securing the rebel base."

Garp crushed the Den Den Mushi behind his back at the sound of scurrying feet entering the room. His subordinates were none the wiser about what had transpired.

The vice admiral was carefree, but he wasn't stupid. He was a veteran, with years of experience under his belt that few others in the navy could match. The government wouldn't send someone of his caliber to crush a small rebellion in one of the World Government's allied nations. That was a job more suited for one of the CP divisions, not a vice admiral.

And the Navy's increasing interest in Dawn Island did not escape his attention. There were perks to being in the Navy for as long as he has been – he had eyes everywhere.

Acting casually, Garp let out his usual laugh. "Good, good. Prepare to set sail then. We've been stuck here for too long."

"Yes sir!"

But even with all his resources and connections, this was the most he could do. He could only hope that his message had made it in time.

' _I've done what I can for Luffy. He's your problem now, you useless son._ '

* * *

Fushia was burning.

Luffy almost could not comprehend what was going on. He was vaguely aware of Makino's presence beside him, her slender hands nudging him to run far, far away, but his body felt rooted to the ground as memories from a time he thought he had put behind him flashed across his vision.

It was Gray Terminal all over again.

The smell of burning smoke, clogging his nostrils with a burning dryness, the screams of confusion and panic, the immense feeling of helplessness – it all came rushing back.

"WHY?!" He screamed. Why would anyone want to repeat the tragedy of Gray Terminal? Why would anyone do this to Fushia, a village that had done nothing wrong?

Akainu remained unmoved by Luffy's distress. "Because as an admiral, I cannot allow such a future threat to the Government continue to grow. Like a plant, evil must be removed from its roots."

"But he's just a  _child_!" Makino shouted once more

"Don't play dumb with me woman," he retorted, his arms blazing once again into pools of magma. Unconsciously, Luffy inched in front of Makino protectively. "The straw hat is proof enough. This boy has been acknowledged by the Yonkou Red-Haired Shanks, and he claims to be the brother of the super rookie Fire Fist Ace. Given time, there is no doubt he will become a threat."

"He's  _Garp's_  grandson as well! Would you really kill the family of one of the Navy's heroes?"

Akainu paused at that statement, caught off guard by the idea that this audacious kid who declared to the world that he would be pirate king was also the grandson of one of the most decorated Marines. But then again, it made perfect sense. The Vice Admiral would have a lot to answer when he returned to headquarters.

For a moment, it seemed the admiral would stop, but then he raised his fist once more. "Garp was always a sentimental fool."

Luffy was ready to punch the admiral right back, outclassed or not, but at the last second, Makino pushed him away. Time slowed as he watched with wide eyes the molten fist that missed him by inches and dig into Makino's chest instead.

"MAKINO!" He screamed, his vision going blurry from the tears and smoke.

Akainu withdrew his fist, letting Makino fall to the ground. "So you would go as far as to throw away your life for this boy?"

"…Luffy," she gasped out softly with her last breaths. She knew she was going to die. The burning pain in her chest that threatened to consume her consciousness was proof enough. She didn't have an amazing natural resilience like Luffy did, and even if she did, she doubts that it would be enough to help her survive this blow. Her body was weak, frail, but even so, it had managed to serve a purpose.

Luffy was like a son to her, and his future was a bright one. If it were within her power, she would protect it at any cost, even with her life as the ultimate price. Makino smiled defiantly at Akianu's question and turned to the boy that had been like a ray of sunshine in her dull quiet life. "Run away Luffy, you still have a dream to live for, don't you, pirate king?"

"Makino!  _Makino_!" Luffy shook her gently, refusing to leave as large tears wetted his cheeks. "Hang on! You have to hang on! How am I supposed to pay you back for all the meals you gave me if you're not here anymore?! Makino! Makino?"

"I'm sorry, Luffy…" Her voice was growing weaker and weaker, and her eyelids drooped half closed.

"Please…" Luffy slammed a fist into the ground, gritting his teeth. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. He could  _feel_  Makino's presence slowly dwindling away right in front of him, like a flame sizzling into smoke and escaping more and more through his useless grip on Makino's arm. "Please don't leave me too!"

The image of the small boy trembling in grief, clutching at the obviously now dead bar owner, was pitiable, but Akainu's expression remained stern as ever. He had not meant to kill the woman, but she had chosen to die to protect a seed of evil. A brave, foolish, and ultimately futile decision.

"You'll join her soon enough," he said, drawing his fist. Luffy turned, glaring at him with barely suppressed anger and looking more than ready to attack the admiral straight on.

And he would have, if not for the giant hands that grabbed him from behind at the last minute, moving him out of the way of yet another fatal blow.

"I'm sorry, but this boy will not die here today."


	2. Chapter 2

"Makino! Let me go! I…I have to save Makino!"

It's been the same stream of comments since they had made their escape, and the stoic kidnapper was frankly surprised that the boy's voice hadn't died out by now with the amount of smoke inhaled from Akainu's attacks.

"She's dead," he repeated again, though he might as well not have said it at all because the boy would not accept his words. He only struggled harder, fighting back tears as he squirmed uselessly.

"You're lying! Makino can't die! She  _can't_!"

But she had.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Sakazuki?!" Garp demanded, barely held back by Sengoku who looked like he had half a mind to let go. The unrepentant look on the admiral's face was unsettling for someone who had torched down an entire town with little cause.

"Eliminating a threat," Akainu answered, arms crossed and back held firm.

Sengoku massaged his temple, feeling a headache coming. "That was beyond your orders which, might I remind you, was to do reconnaissance, not the  _elimination of a whole village._ "

"The collateral damage was…unfortunate," Akainu said, having the decency to avert his eyes from Sengoku's disapproving stare. "However, I am not the only one with actions to explain."

He turned to Garp, eyes glinting with a simple message –  _I know what you were hiding_.

But Garp merely tilted his chin up in challenge, not cowed at the least. He knew how to play this game of petty politics – he hadn't been Sengoku's friend for so long without picking up a thing or two.

"Hmph, worry about your own actions. You're years too young to threaten me,  _brat_."

* * *

_"I'm sorry, but this boy will not die here today."_

_"Bartholomew Kuma," Akainu called out with a frown. He couldn't fathom what the Shichibukai was doing in the East, helping a boy that didn't even appear to know the Shichibukai judging by the way the boy tried to squirm away from the hands that had saved him. Today had been one surprise after another._

_"What is your connection to the boy?"_

_"I have orders to protect him." Kuma readjusted his grip on the struggling boy in his arms who was demanding with an increasingly hoarse voice to be let go by the unfamiliar man. Akainu noted that the Kuma's gloves where nowhere to be seen – he had come ready for combat._

_"The government gave no such orders."_

_"I am no longer acting under the World Government. As of today, I resign from my position of Shichibukai."_

_"So be it. I'll make you regret that decision."_

_While the Shichibukai had the advantage of speed, Akainu's attack range was nothing short of frightening. As soon as those words had left his lips, the ground trembled and molten meteors rained upon their surroundings. Kuma made his move just as fast, pushing at the air in front of him to retreat backwards from the brunt of the attack by flinging himself almost halfway across the island. Yet even there, he felt the burn of molten debris pelting his shoulders._

_What a monster. Was Akainu so hell-bent on destroying a single boy that he was willing to sacrifice a whole town for his crusade? Instinctively, he moved to cover the boy in his arms as much as possible as he pressed his body to move faster. The boy had lost almost everything today, but his life would not be added onto that list._

_If Luffy could strike such paranoid fear into Akainu at such a young age, then surely that potential would one day bloom into a force capable of turning the world upside down. Bartholomew Kuma swore on his name that he would not let the boy die until that day came. He was Dragon's son after all._

'…Thank you."

Dragon was sparse with words, but the genuine gratitude behind them was not lost on his long time friend and compatriot. It was not only thanks for the mission report, but for constantly risking life and limb as a double agent, for saving his son, for being one of his most trusted companions.

From his hospital bed, Kuma offered a stiff nod through the numerous bandages that made him resemble more of a mummy than a human. "I'm glad that I made it in time. Akainu was…persistent, though it appears he does not yet realize that the boy is your son."

"It won't take them long to make the connection. Garp can't keep the secret forever, but it's come out sooner than expected." Dragon looked over to his sleeping son. Luffy's injuries were much less severe; exhaustion – both mental and physical – had been what knocked him out on the long journey to Baltigo.

With uncharacteristic gentleness, built up from years of self-imposed isolation from his only son, Dragon reached over to brush a strand of unruly hair from his son's face.

"He's still too young…"

Too young to bear the burden of his name, too young to take on the world, too young to get involved in a mess that had started years before his birth.

Kuma's lips thinned to a solemn line. That's never stopped the government before. Not with Nico Robin, and certainly not now. Everyone in the revolutionaries had long lost faith in the World Government. "We'll keep him safe," Kuma assured.

A pause. For the second time, Dragon nodded and said quietly, "Thank you."

* * *

His eyes were closed, but the rest of his senses were not. He could smell the sharp scent of antiseptic, the rough linen of the unfamiliar bed, the sound of distant footsteps, but strangely, it wasn't the sound that clued him into the presence of other people nearby. He could  _feel_  them.

Just as he had felt Makino so close, yet drifting farther and farther even with her body grasped in his hands.

 _Makino_.

Luffy jerked awake, ignoring the aching pain in his body in favor of staring at his bandaged hands in confusion. He closed them into a fist, digging his fingernails as far as they would go and felt the pain as they drew blood.

This was not a dream.

 _Makino._ Makino was…

Luffy refused to finish the thought. Instead, he looked to the left, sensing the presence of the man that had brought him here. Bartholomew Kuma was asleep, heavily bandaged, and even Luffy didn't have the heart to wake him up for answers no matter how confused he was.

The man, Luffy belated realized, was  _strong_. Strong enough to resist the navy, strong enough to escape, strong enough to  _protect_  – something he both respected and envied.

He, on the other hand, was so  _weak_.

Tears wetted his eyes again as he curled himself into a ball to quiet himself. Ace hated crybabies, but Luffy just couldn't stop the hiccupping sobs from escaping his lips.

Ace.

Ace was far away in the vast seas, Dadan was (hopefully) still at Dawn Island, and Makino was…not here. And Gramps…at this point, Luffy even missed his presence. More so than any physical ache, it was the loneliness - the deep dread of powerlessness and isolation - that sapped his strength.

After all these years, after all his training, why was he still so damn  _weak_?

* * *

 _'Still a crybaby_ ,' Sabo thought fondly, though his heart ached empathetically for his brother. This was not how he had imagined their reunion…of course, he should have learned from two years ago that things almost never went how he wanted them to go.

How would Luffy react to his presence now? Would he resent the brother who went missing without a word, thought to be  _dead_ , for two years?

Whatever the case, none of the three brothers had ever liked anyone to see their weakness. He didn't have a clue about how to comfort his younger brother now, especially after two years. Hell, Luffy would probably just cry more from his efforts. He had never been a good brother – he had dumped the youngest on Ace with only a letter as goodbye after all.

Sighing, Sabo tilted his hat down to hide his expression and turned from the infirmary door. He was running away yet again.

Except just as he had taken three steps into the hall, the infirmary door slammed open.

* * *

Through a suffocating veil of loneliness, a familiar presence nagged at the edge of Luffy's senses. Someone equally as broken as he was, but still warm and familiar.

Luffy inhaled sharply and clamped his lips shut, willing himself to stop crying. He was not alone, he refused to be left alone again.

With snot still dripping fresh from his nostrils, Luffy practically tackled the hospital door open and gasped out, "Sabo?! Don't...don't leave!"

Dumbfounded, Sabo could only stand still as Luffy wrapped around him almost twice over with a hug that could rival a boa constrictor in strength.

"Sabo...Sabo!" Luffy uttered between incoherent hiccups of tears.

Sabo closed his eyes, worming his way in Luffy's grasp into a position where he could return the hug. Luffy's tears were every bit as infectious as his smiles, not that Sabo would ever let Luffy see them. Letting Luffy rest a head on his shoulder, Sabo gently patted Luffy on the back in soothing motions.

"Hey crybaby, it's been a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little disjointed since I'm playing around with my writing style a bit, but I hope it still makes sense!


	3. Chapter 3

The two stood like that, interlocked in each other's arms and crying their clothes into a wet mess, until Luffy's cries died down to sleepy sniffles and Sabo's arms ached with the weight of a burden he welcomed nonetheless.

"I… _we_  thought that you were…that you were dead," Luffy whispered, fearing that this was all an illusion he risked ending with the wrong words. Even though he could feel the warmth of Sabo's body, the strong embrace of his brother's presence enveloping him even now, Luffy's mind could only think back to the day when he and Ace stood on that cliff with only regret on their minds. "They told us…they  _saw_  your ship and the blood…and we really thought that…that you…"

Sabo winced at the troubling emotions that manifested so strongly in his brother's trembling voice. "But I'm alive," he assured, pulling Luffy's mind back to the present. "Didn't I tell you guys in my letter? Somewhere in the wide, open sea, I knew I'd see you both again."

"…but..!"

"You should have had a little more faith in your big brother, Luffy. How could I die before seeing you become pirate king?" he added teasingly, but, unexpectedly, Luffy burst once more into tears. This was apparently sensitive ground he was treading on, because the stranglehold on him became almost deadly.

"I…Sabo…you  _jerk_! We were really sad!" A sudden clarity came over Luffy's voice, in part fueled by righteous anger but the loud relief in his voice rung true. "Ace even cried!"

The thickness in Sabo's throat welled up alongside the moist tears in his eyes. He had wondered, on those desolate days when he had only memories to keep him company, if they had chosen to forget about him just as he had chosen to leave them behind to chase his own freedom. But the proof was here, in his arms, that they had never forgotten, never let go no matter how painful their separation had been.

"…I'm…" His voice cracked, but Luffy listened on eagerly, "…I'm so sorry Luffy. It…It was really stupid of me. I promise I'll never leave you and Ace like that again."

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"Nothing short of death will keep me away," he swore solemnly.

"Then, please, don't die," Luffy begged desperately in a tone that Sabo knew he couldn't refuse. As unrealistic as it was, as stupidly naïve as it sounded, this reassurance was something Luffy  _needed_.

"I won't die," Sabo declared, just as loudly and fiercely as Ace had. "As long as my weak little brother needs me, I can't afford to die. Right, Luffy?"

Between a sniffle and a slightly disgusting, futile attempt to suck back the snot that had dripped down his face, Luffy muffled out a content "Mmn!"

Perhaps it was selfish, perhaps even insulting to Ace, to want  _two_  brothers again when Ace alone had done so much for him, but selfishness ran as deeply in his blood as stubbornness. After taking so much away from him, the world could at least let him have this much, couldn't it?

* * *

With much additional coaxing, Sabo had managed to convince Luffy to release his death grip long enough to get the two a fresh pair of clothing from the supply closet. They were the standard green cloaks that most everyone in the base wore, but Luffy took to it with the first smile Sabo had seen on him all day.

"It's like a hero cape!" He said, twirling around to demonstrate how "totally-super-awesome" it looked.

The enthusiasm earned Luffy a chuckle. "Yes, it's a hero cape. Luffy, do you know what that cape means?"

It was a symbol of revolution, of rebellion against the status quo, of those who toiled in the shadow towards  _freedom_. Though the dull colors did look odd in contrast to the bright atmosphere Luffy always created about him. As if to prove his point, Luffy looked at him with the biggest eyes – practically  _sparkling_  with curiosity – and asked, "Is it a  _mystery_  cape?"

Sabo couldn't help it; the question was so childish, so ridiculous, so  _Luffy,_  that he doubled over, hands pressed against his lips in a failing attempt to muffle a very loud, incredulous snort.

From behind him, Sabo heard an almost inaudible breath of laughter. Glancing over, he found that it was from  _Dragon_ of all people who was listening in on their conversation. The man's lips were tugged up in the barest of smiles, but the softness in his eyes was what really gave away his relation to the boy he was staring at.

That's right, Sabo remembered. Their leader was Luffy's  _father_.

"You're awake," Dragon observed.

Whereas Sabo scrambled to make himself more presentable, Luffy only tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Eh? Who are you?"

"Luffy, that's your  _dad_. He's the one that saved me back then."

"Eh… _EH_?" Luffy glanced upward at Dragon, staring hard at his features before turning back to Sabo. " _Dad_?…I have a  _dad_?" He pointed a finger, "Him?!"

"Of course you do!" Sabo replied, resisting the strong urge to sock his brother in the head like he had always done in the past when Luffy said something particularly stupid (which, even after all these years, was still practically every minute it seemed). "Where do you think you came from?"

"Hmm...I've never thought 'bout it! Gramps always took care of me."

"I left you with Garp as a baby," Dragon spoke, immediately drawing their attention. His voice had an innate quality that filled the room with every word, demanding recognition even with soft-spoken words. "It was so you could live free without the burden of your heritage, but it seems that fate has caught up with you faster than I had hoped."

Luffy looked at the man – really  _looked_  at him, in a way only Luffy could pull off that seemed to pierce to the very being of a person – and then smiled. "I'm stupid," the boy admitted straight off the bat, having no shame in airing the fact, "so I don't really get what's going on, but…Thanks for taking care of Sabo. And saving me too, I think. I liked Dawn Island, it's where I met Shanks, and Ace, and Sabo, and…"

The strawhat tipped over just enough to cover Luffy's watering eyes and trembling lips. "…and Makino and even Dadan and the old mayor guy. The only thing I regret is that…I…  _I wasn't strong enough to protect them_."

Each word was laced in an agony that made Sabo want to do nothing less than hold his brother in his arms and never let go. Despite acting in a semi-balance of normality earlier, it was blatantly obvious now that Luffy had scars that would not heal so easily with a few words.

"You will be," Dragon promised, and not one person in the room doubted it.

* * *

_(And so, the wheels of fate began to turn anew.)_

* * *

"With your stubbornness, I guess it's futile to ask you to reconsider, Garp."

"Damn straight," Garp replied with his usual laugh, though the weariness in it did not escape his friend's notice. The wrinkles around the old marine's eyes had never looked so deep. "I'm getting too old to keep up with these youngsters."

There was no doubt who Garp was referring to, but any smart man knew not to poke that bomb of a matter directly.

"Not too old to leave the Navy though?"

"There's still some things I need to do. Disappointed, Sengoku?"

"Would it matter if I was? I know by now when you're up to something." The Fleet Admiral answered as he signed off on Garp's papers. He had seen this coming, to some extent, but no one could really predict Garp. The debate about Akainu's actions had ended in a standstill, and the events at Dawn had been swept under the rug, covered up without so much as a peep reported to the world, but Sengoku had not been enough of an optimist to think that Garp would leave it like that. At the very least, the Marine headquarters wasn't in shambles and his friend had not completely renounced the Navy.

"Are you going to stop me?"

Sengoku handed back the finished documentation. "I'd wish you luck, but I think the East needs it more with you as the chief base commander there."

Some called the marine a wild dog, a disgrace to their record as peacekeepers, but anyone who fought by his side would know that Garp was an invaluable marine who had earned as much trust among his comrades as he had fear among his enemies. As crazy as Garp was, he was a good marine, and moreover, a good man.

Just this once, Sengoku would trust his friend's judgment.

The upper echelons may not realize it, but Sengoku could  _feel_  it. Something had changed - a delicate balance tipped – with Garp's departure, and he could only pray that he would not regret his decision.

* * *

"Kanpai! To Garp's departure!"

In the New World, Garp's reputation was fearsome as ever: a Vice Admiral with the strength of an Admiral, a man who had gone toe to toe with the likes of Rodger and Shiki during their prime and made it out alive.

Several pirates in the bar held up their ale in agreement. "Kanpai!" They echoed.

Though the marine's grip on the New World was much more limited than in Paradise, Garp was one of the few who stubbornly chased down pirates on their home turf regardless of the risks. And somehow, the mad marine always came out with a track record few others could claim.

"Looks like he finally got scared off," one pirate boasted, and many laughed in agreement.

Yet some in the bar remained quiet. Tucked away in a small corner of the tavern, the Whitebeard pirates enjoyed their ale with a more solemn air.

"Ignorant brats," Whitebeard said to no one in particular, but loud enough so that his whole crew could hear. The large man took a long swig from his tankard. The ale was good, but not quite good enough to make up for the stupidity around him. "Garp afraid? Ridiculous. Something else must be going on. Garp isn't that type of man."

"If something could scare  _Garp_ , we'd be doomed, yoi," agreed Marco. A pirate crew as old as theirs had inevitably faced off against the man several times, and cowardly was hardly a word to describe Garp. It was practically the antithesis of the man.

"Wha?  _Garp_?!"

The youngest of the crew of veterans jolted awake. The name "Garp" alone was enough to trigger Ace's "danger" senses, a conditioned reflex developed from years and years of childhood "learning." The shivers of trauma had reached him, even from deep within his dreams.

A collective laugh erupted from the Whitebeard pirates. "Glad to see you're awake, Ace," Thatch said, trying to keep in his snickering, but the food plastered all over Ace's half-asleep face was making the task near impossible.

"Don't laugh you bastards!" Ace growled, wiping off the food, but not before giving the entire room a paranoid sweep to make sure that Garp was indeed not anywhere near. "...What were you guys talking about anyways?"

* * *

"Are you the Arlong-brat I've been hearing about?"

Arlong glanced at the man who stood before him, clad in a familiar white uniform but nowhere as thin and spineless as their usual Marine negotiator. This human had a different aura, one that even the Fishman had to grudgingly acknowledge. But that alone wasn't enough to reign in Arlong's usual arrogance. "Who are you? And where's Captain Nezumi?"

"Oh, him?" Garp picked on the itch in his nose, paying more attention to his finger than the Fishman. "He got in the way of my ship while I was trying to stop by to resupply, so I demoted him."

"Is that so?"

The atmosphere went cold.

From out of every corner and crevice, Arlong's subordinates appeared bearing their weapons, but Garp remained unfazed. He flicked his booger at the threat coming from behind him, and much to his attacker's surprise, the projectile hit with a force strong enough to topple the lackey all the way back into the water he crawled out from.

Garp let out a roaring laugh. "You're trying to  _threaten_  me? How cute, but you're twenty years too early to take on these fists." He cracked his knuckles, loud and audible enough to intimidate many into taking a step backwards.

And slowly, Arlong realized just how horribly the mistress of fortune had turned on him.

* * *

"Garp the Fist? A Vice Admiral coming to the East? That can't be, what would someone like him be doing here?"

"It's true Captain Kuro, he's going to be the base commander for the new naval base on Dawn Island and he already arrested Arlong just a day after he arrived."

A frown. "Dawn Island? That's only a few days away from Syrup Village. I haven't accounted for this at all."

"What should we do, Captain?"

"My plans to swindle and murder that pathetic girl haven't changed. We just need to approach this more cautious-"

A loud rustle in the bushes caught the attention of the former pirate. Someone had overheard the conversation, despite the fact that it was the dead of the night in the forest. But if the fool thought he could get away with the help of a little darkness, Kuro would soon prove otherwise.

"Ah, hold on, Jango. It seems there's a little  _rat_  I need to deal with first."

* * *

"Ow! That hurt!" Luffy whined, clutching his new bruise that Sabo had left just moments earlier. Then, it dawned on him. "That  _hurt_ ," he repeated in awe.

"Of course it did," Sabo grinned. "It's because I used Haki. Why do you think Garp's fists still hurt you even though you're made of rubber?"

"Because Gramps is  _scary_."

Sabo sighed half-fondly at the simple minded response. It was just the kind of response he had been expecting. Luffy's talent for Haki might have awoken in light of his recent trauma, but he didn't even seem aware of it at all. To the boy, it was all a "mystery sense."

They had a long way to go.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've picked up a possibly bad Oda-habit in which I like to jump around scenes too often and too fast. I'm working on finding a balance lol 
> 
> Also I know a lot of things have changed from this chapter, but I do promise that Luffy meets the rest of the strawhats and they will be as much of a crazy close-knit group as before because that's one of my favorite things about this series. Needless to say though, they'll be meeting under different circumstances than canon because I don't want to write plain retelling of canon events. Who wants a boring adventure like that?

**Author's Note:**

> This fic started out as an Ace-don't-die-on-me-damn-it fic and evolved into a giant-ass AU idea because I want Ace to live while the strawhats still get power-up/character development. Sadly to do this my brain decided I needed to veer off from canon from a much earlier timepoint than I anticipated, so don't expect this AU to strictly follow canon timeline. If it isn't obvious, this is set about a year after Ace sets sail.
> 
> Since everyone asks about pairings when I write a new fic...The main pairing for this fic is everyone x friendship x adventure, best pairing ever right? LOL


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